Dr Ato Forson urges MMDCEs to eliminate waste in public spending

The Minister for Finance Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has urged Regional Ministers, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and Coordinating Directors to strengthen financial accountability and eliminate waste in public spending.

He said public officials must ensure that state resources are properly collected, protected and spent to improve essential services for Ghanaians.

Dr Forson made the call in Tamale during an engagement on the 2025 Auditor-General’s Report, where he stressed the need to recover lost funds, close financial loopholes and prevent the recurrence of irregularities.

“Ghana does not have the luxury of wasting public resources. Every cedi has a job waiting for it. It can buy medicine, repair a classroom, desilt a drain, improve a market, or maintain a feeder road,” he said.

The Finance Minister cautioned that the misuse or failure to account for public funds directly affects the delivery of essential services, particularly in communities that depend on government investment in infrastructure and social amenities.

He said the recovery of public funds must go beyond political slogans and become a standard practice across government institutions.

“That is why recovering every cedi cannot remain just a slogan on our banners. It must become a way of working. Collect what is due the state. Protect what is collected. Spend what is approved. Account for what is spent. Recover what is owed, and prevent it from happening again,” he stated.

The engagement on the Auditor-General’s Report is intended to draw attention to financial irregularities and reinforce the responsibility of public officials to ensure that state funds are used for their approved purposes.